There’s an In-Flight Connectivity Bubble That’s About to Burst
Photo Credit: Gogo revealing its new 2Ku Wi-Fi service. Gogo
Skift Take
The biggest news to consumers is that in-flight connectivity isn't about checking emails or even streaming Netflix. It's about selling entertainment and tracking planes.
New developments in the aviation connectivity market now happen at speeds which surpass even the fastest connections on offer.
Just last week, while a suggestion was made at the SITA IT Summit that this market is in a bubble and industry consolidation is sure to follow, Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) announced a new agreement with Eutelsat America Corp. (EAC) to deploy a new satellite in 2017 which will provide connection speeds at 200 Mbps; and, at very the same Summit, JetBlue announced that it will launch a new satellite to expand popular its Fly-Fi network.
This follows recent announcements by AT&T and Honeywell that they will collaborate to establish a 4G Hybrid Air-to-Ground Network in the United States to supply connectivity demand from airlines; and Inmarsat's announcement that it too that it will establish a 4G Europasat Hybrid Satellite/Air-to-Ground Network to provide more connectivity options in Europe (and possibly beyond), with British Airways the fi
